Reviews for any metal and rock music

Panikk – Discarded Existence

The entire world of thrash metal is one that has been around since the infant days of the metal itself, and that has led to its sound and influence to spread on an unprecedented scale that can still be seen today. Perhaps the thrash scene from the Bay area of California has had no greater influence, and while it’s remained relatively unchanged in decades, it still fucking shreds when put in the right hands. Panikk has proven to be capable before, but it’s their upcoming record that solidifies their status as one of the best up and coming thrash bands in the entire world.

Realistically speaking, you really only need one thing if you want to make a good thrash: speed, obviously, but being able to carefully sew in fantastic melodies amongst the riffs that really keep the listener going is the really secret. Bands have been doing that formula for ages, and it’s one of those that doesn’t need improvement because it’s always fucking great and it’s young groups like Panikk that fully understand the concept, and then pull it off splendidly well. These Slovenians showed with their debut that they could most certainly do some solid thrash metal, but I’d say it’s “Discarded Existence” that shows their true potential that they only hinted at beforehand. The eight tracks that we get with this sophomore record is precisely what the witch doctor order as Panikk has created an album that embodies every single fucking thing that thrash metal has stood for over its long reign on this planet, and “Discarded Existence” stands as a testament to why we still fucking love it to this day. Tracks like “Eyes Don’t Lie” pack the punch, “Rotten Cells” that show the evolution Panikk has undergone as a band as a whole, and “Instigator of War” that show the real power and might that Panikk will soon become known for along with being the best fucking thrash act to ever come out of their nation, which is a title not many can boast. Calling “Discarded Existence” a success as both an album and a piece of magnificence would be a fucking understatement, for even though I’ve done my best to describe this record to you all I still find myself at a loss for words every time I hear this fantastic example of thrash done right.

It’s often enough that we get a band that shows plenty of potential with a debut, but it’s very rarely that the same band will have a sharp increase in quality, awesomeness, and straight up badassery as a band in such a short time. Yet, that’s exactly what Panikk has fucking done here. Should you want to know what the baby of Exodus, Violence, and Forbidden can do, “Discarded Existence” is all you’ll ever need and I’ve no doubt in my mind that Panikk can once again deliver, only next time will be even grander than this. Somehow.